Preliminary data from researchers in China suggest the NB.1.8.1 variant is not better at evading the immune system compared to other strains on the rise, but it does have a greater ability to bind to human cells, suggesting it could be more transmissible.

Government vaccine advisers are meeting to decide if the recipe for COVID-19 vaccines needs updating for this fall and winter.

Previously, updated COVID vaccines had been recommended annually by the CDC for everyone over the age of 6 months. The CDC has historically set vaccine recommendations, while the FDA determines which vaccines to authorize or approve after being deemed safe and effective.

A group of experts who advise the US Food and Drug Administration on its vaccine decisions voted unanimously Thursday to make a broad recommendation about which lineage of the coronavirus should be included in this year’s Covid-19 vaccines,

In a major policy shift, federal health officials anticipate the shots will be made available to adults 65 and older as well as children and younger adults who have one or more risk factors that make them more vulnerable to severe COVID-19.

Since 2023, federal health officials have recommended an annual COVID-19 shot for most people, and vaccine makers have not needed to conduct additional tests on each year’s updated vaccine. It's similar to the way the annual flu shot is updated to target the newest influenza strains,

Plus, new clues about the rise in colorectal cancer rates in young adults. You are reading our weekly Well+Being newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every Thursday.

Federal health officials will no longer routinely approve annual COVID-19 shots for younger adults and children who are healthy

Agency leaders said there was evidence to justify approval only for older people and those with medical conditions. Many others may not be able to get the shots.

Seven weeks into his job as FDA commissioner, Marty Makary, MD, MPH, held his own answering a barrage of sometimes acrimonious questions from Senators about agency staffing cuts, limits on COVID boosters, and more.